LIV

"Um..." Rob looked between me and my aunt awkwardly, unsure of what to say. He scratched the back of his head, then chuckled to himself. "Well, I did want to discuss some class work with you. So, is it okay if I wait outside in the waiting room," Rob asked as he looked at me.

I nodded, "okay."

He gave me a half-smile, nodded to Jen, then left the room, closing the door behind him. Once he was gone, I sucked in a deep breath then closed my eyes. My heart and shoulders relaxed, and I opened my eyes to see my aunt watching me.

She glanced down at the pregnancy test. "I like to think that I've always been your cool and responsible aunt."

I smiled, "of course."

Jen smiled, "am I cool enough to ask what's happening between you and Professor Braden?"

My mouth fell open. I had tried to act as natural as possible when he was in the room with us. We hadn't said anything obvious. At worst it was an awkward conversation between a student and her teacher.

It was odd that he came to find me though.

"Wh-What do you mean...?"

She quirked a brow at me, "Liv, I think you know what I mean."

"I-"

The timer on my phone went off and I sighed, relieved.

Saved by the bell...

Aunt Jen gestured toward the stick, "would you like to do the honors?"

"Can you do it? I'm nervous."

She nodded, then put on a glove and picked up the test. I watched her and she stared down at the stick, and did my best to try and understand her expressions. But her face remained the same, a pleasant look in her eyes like before.

Jen looked up from the test, then said, "I'm pretty sure that professor is the father of your baby. You're pregnant, Olivia."

I gasped. My hands flew to my chest, and my head felt like it was spinning, while my heart did flips. All I knew to do was stand up and open the window. I was sure I looked like I had some screws loose, pulling on the window much harder than necessary.

I stuck my face into the fresh outdoor air and took in a deep breath.

"Are you okay, Liv?"

"Mmhm."

As I made my way back to my seat, Jen moved her chair closer so that it was in front of mine. We both sat down, and she gently wiped a tear from my cheek that I didn't even know was there. She took my hands and smiled tenderly at me.

"It's going to be okay. Whatever you want to do, I'll be there for you."

I sobbed, shaking my head, "what am I s-supposed to d-do?"

She took me in her arms and rubbed my back as I cried and cried.

"It's gonna be okay."

Twenty minutes later, Aunt Jen and I walked out of her office and into the waiting room. Rob was sitting on one of the chairs with his head in his hands. I looked at my aunt, and we shared a knowing look.

She gave me a hug, then a pat on the back.

"Call me anytime, hun. Whatever you need, I'm here. I love you."

"I will... Love you too."

After she went back to her office, I walked over to where Rob was waiting. He looked up as I approached, and I could see his face light up a bit. He rose to his feet, then smiled down at me.

"Can we go somewhere to talk," he asked.

"Sure."

******

We sat at a cafe across from each other with tea and coffee in front of us. It was a good distance away from our neighbourhood; not too close, not too far. Rob was drinking a large cappuccino, and I was drinking herbal iced tea. This morning, or any time before this afternoon, I might've ordered a latte, or shots with lots of cream and some caramel. But, I didn't realize I was housing a whole human being.

And Rob had no idea.

"Um, did you want to get something to eat," he asked me.

I shook my head, "I have an appetite for something that isn't packed with butter. I'm good."

We sat there in silence for another few minutes, either looking at each other or our drinks. But I couldn't do that for long, because we were there for a reason.

I opened my mouth to speak, "so-"

"How have you been? Last time we talked was over a month ago. The last place I thought I'd be seeing you was in my class."

"I've been good," I shifted in my seat, "how are you?"

"I'm good... So, that thing I saw earlier in the clinic-"

"Right, the pregnancy test. Um..." I ran my hands over my hair, thinking of a way to tell him that we were going to be parents.

I'd always thought that I would be married, or even engaged when I was delivering this kind of news. There are so many different ways to do it, but I always dreamed that I'd buy him a card for fathers with something about being a new dad written inside. And that we'd laugh and cry, ready to welcome our beautiful bundle of joy into the world. Maybe it wouldn't go exactly as planned, but that would be fine. As long as we were together.

This, on the other hand. This was not a situation I ever thought I'd be in.

"Okay, well. The night we had sex was amazing. I want you to know that it went beyond my expectations," I told him.

"It was amazing for me too."

I exhaled, then shook my head. It was now or never.

"I'm pregnant, and you're the father. I'm one hundred percent sure."

Rob stared at me, his expression blank. It took a little while before he leaned back and finally breathed. His hands rubbed down his face, his leg bouncing underneath the table. A server walked by and he raised his hand to get their attention.

"Can I get a glass of ice water, please?"

The server nodded, then made his way behind the counter.

"So," Rob started, "what do we do? I mean, what do you want to do? Do you know how many weeks you-"

My hand went over his, "breathe."

We inhaled, then exhaled, and I noticed him relax after a few minutes. I tried to move my hand back, but he took it in his hand, making circles on it with his thumb. Our eyes met, and I felt like I was safe with him. Even just for now.

"I can tell you now that I'm going to keep the baby. Obviously, we have some stuff to figure out together, but that's all I know for now. And I'm going to find an OB and Midwife that I like, and then find out what's going on in there," I said, making air circles around my belly.

Rob nods, "that's miles ahead of anything going on in my head."

I laugh softly, which makes him start laughing too. Before we know it, we've attracted a lot of attention from the other people in the cafe. What Rob said wasn't even that funny, but it felt good to have some relief.

We calmed down eventually, our laughter dying out. People stopped looking at us, and the server came back with Rob's water. He thanked him, then took a big gulp from the glass. By the time it was back on the table, there was only a third left in the glass.

Rob reached into his back pocket and pulled out a fresh twenty dollar bill. He looked up at me, "is it okay if this one's on me?"

I nodded, "yeah."

Rob downed the rest of his cappuccino, then put the twenty underneath it. He stood up, "I don't have anything I need to do today, and I want us to talk more. I could go for a nice meal right about now. So, can I take you out somewhere? You can pick the place, I can eat anything."

I stood up, grabbing my iced peach tea.

"Yes."

*********
A/N

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-Ruth